Albert Joseph Brown III (born June 4, 1968), known professionally as Al B. Sure!, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, radio host and former record executive. He was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brown was one of new jack swing's most popular romantic singers, songwriters and record producers.

Early life and music career

Brown is the son of Albert Joseph Brown II, a nuclear medical technician, and Cassandra Brown, an accountant. Brown was a star football quarterback at

Mount Vernon High School Mount Vernon High School could refer to: *Mount Vernon High School (Arkansas) — Mount Vernon, Arkansas * Mount Vernon High School (Illinois) — Mount Vernon, Illinois *Mount Vernon High School (Fortville, Indiana) * Mount Vernon High Sch ...

in New York, who rejected an athletic scholarship to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

to pursue a music career. In 1987,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

selected Brown as the first winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search. He went on to work with Jones on several projects, most notably the platinum 1990 single "

The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite) "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" is a song by Quincy Jones, featuring American R&B singers Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, and Barry White. It was released as a single from Jones's album, '' Back on the Block'' (1989), and peake ...

" from Jones' double-platinum-certified album ''

Back on the Block ''Back on the Block'' is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones. The album features legendary musicians and singers from across three generations, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaugh ...

''. On this recording, Brown was one of a quartet with

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

El DeBarge Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include " Time Will Reveal", " Who's Hold ...

, and

James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song. After beginning his career ...

. Brown's 1988 debut album ''

In Effect Mode ''In Effect Mode'' is the debut album by Al B. Sure!. It was released on May 3, 1988 on Uptown Records with distribution handled by Warner Bros. Records. It was one of two albums by Sure! that was released under Uptown that were not issued under i ...

'' sold more than three million copies, topping the '' Billboard'' R&B chart for seven straight weeks. It included the single "

Nite and Day "Nite and Day" is the debut single by Al B. Sure! from his debut album ''In Effect Mode'' (1988). It reached number seven on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Black Singles chart. The B-side of the record is the ...

," which topped the R&B chart and reached No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and " Off on Your Own (Girl)", which also top the R&B chart. He received numerous Grammy and

American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...

(AMA) nominations, and won an AMA for Best New R&B Artist. He also received several

Soul Train Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the ...

nominations, and won the award for Best New Artist. Brown also won several New York Music Awards. In addition, his 1–900 phone line was third in generating revenue, following those for

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...

and

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

As a writer and producer, Brown introduced to the music industry such multi-platinum acts as

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...

and teen R&B performer

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

(who was also one of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

's and Quincy Jones' former protégés), as well as

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...

Dave Hollister David Le Chaine Hollister (born August 17, 1968) is an American R&B singer who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the R&B quartet Blackstreet, before going on to have a solo career. Hollister is best known for his 2000 gold-certifie ...

, Case and Usher. In 2009, Brown signed with

Hidden Beach Recordings Hidden Beach is an American independent record label known for R&B, soul, inspirational and contemporary jazz genres. Hidden Beach was formed in 1998 by Steven McKeever and holds a distribution deal with Universal Music Group. History Steven ...

. His first single for the label, "I Love It (Papi Aye, Aye, Aye)," entered the Radio & Records Urban AC chart at No. 33. The album ''

Honey, I'm Home "Honey, I'm Home" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Shania Twain. It was released in August 1998 as the sixth single from her album '' Come On Over'', and the fifth to country radio. The song was written by Twain a ...

'' was released on June 23, 2009.

Other work

In 1991, Brown co-starred with

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...

in a television pilot titled ''Private Times''. In 2000, Brown's ABS Entertainment launched a television development division, and he served as co-executive producer of an HBO Comedy Special starring

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

, filmed at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. Then, Brown teamed with the

ABC Radio Network Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which ...

to produce and host a romantically themed nighttime music program, ''The Secret Garden'', featuring a blend of music and celebrity guests. Brown participated in Bless the Children Foundation's celebrity auction along with NFL stars Charles Woodson and Anthony Dorsett. He was presented with the key to the city of Oakland by city council member Laurence E. Reid in recognition of the participation of Brown's ABS Ken-Struk-Shen in refurbishing parts of the city. Reid proclaimed October 19 Al B. Sure! Day. Brown was a DJ on the Los Angeles radio station KHHT, and played old-school hip hop and R&B. He currently hosts a daily morning-radio show on iHeart Radio. In July 2019, Brown became the new host of

Urban One Urban One, Inc. (formerly Radio One) is a Silver Spring, Maryland-based American media conglomerate. Founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, the company primarily operates media properties targeting African Americans. It is the largest African-American- ...

's nationally syndicated evening

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...

/slow jams program ''Love and R&B'', replacing the previous host, John Monds. The show, syndicated through Urban One subsidiary Reach Media and based in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas, is heard on

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music ...

format radio stations such as WZAK in Cleveland,

WMMJ WMMJ (102.3 FM), known on air as "Majic 102.3 & 92.7," is a jammin' oldies-leaning urban adult contemporary radio station owned by Radio One in the Washington, D.C. market. It is co-owned with WKYS, WOL, WPRS-FM, WTEM and WYCB and has studio ...

in Washington,

KZMJ KZMJ (94.5 FM) is a radio station serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas. The station airs an urban adult contemporary format. The station is licensed to Gainesville and is owned by Urban One. Co-owned with KBFB and Reach Media, it ...

in Dallas, and

WDMK WDMK; (105.9 FM, "105.9 Kiss-FM") is a commercial FM radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, it broadcasts an urban adult contemporary format. The studios and offices are on Radio Plaza in Ferndale. The station b ...

in Detroit among others. In 2010, Brown appeared as one of the 12 contestants on the TV One reality television

dating game show Dating game shows are game shows that incorporates a variety of matchmaking systems and services in the form of a game with clear rules. Human matchmaking is involved only in selecting the game's contestants, who are usually selected more for the ...

The Ultimate Merger ''Donald J. Trump Presents The Ultimate Merger'' is an American reality television dating game show. A spin-off of '' The Apprentice'', the series premiered on TV One on June 17, 2010. The series' first season starred Omarosa, who in 2004 appe ...

''. The series was produced by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and starred former ''

Apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

'' contestant

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth Omarosa Onee Manigault Newman () ( Manigault; born 1974), often known as Omarosa, is an American reality television show participant, writer, and former political aide to former US President Donald Trump. She became widely known as a contestant ...

, whom Brown dated previously.

Personal life

Al B. Sure! has three sons. His eldest son Albert Joseph Brown IV, also known as Al B Sure Jr, was featured on the MTV series ''

Rock the Cradle ''Rock the Cradle'' is an MTV reality show in which the offspring of R&B, pop, and rock stars from the 1980s and 1990s vie in a six-week singing competition. The show debuted on April 3, 2008, and ended on May 8 of the same year. Personnel ...

''. His second son Devin Brown is a hip hop singer and goes by the name of Devin LOUD. In 1991 he had a son, Quincy Brown by Kim Porter. Quincy was named after the musician who mentored Al B. Sure! Quincy Jones. In that same year, he co-wrote a song called "

Forever My Lady ''Forever My Lady'' is the debut studio album by American R&B quartet Jodeci, released May 28, 1991, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Background The album's production and composition was largely attributed to DeVante Swing, who worked along ...

" in honor of Kim and his son. The song was performed by

and produced by Al B. Sure! and Jodeci-member

DeVante Swing Donald Earle DeGrate Jr. (born September 29, 1969), better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. He is the older brother of fellow Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate. Career In his ea ...

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Featured singles

Writing & Producing Credits

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Al B. Sure! 1968 births Living people American actors Warner Records artists African-American radio personalities African-American record producers African-American songwriters American radio personalities American rhythm and blues keyboardists American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Record producers from Massachusetts American soul singers New jack swing musicians Participants in American reality television series Musicians from Boston People from Leonia, New Jersey Singer-songwriters from New Jersey American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni